


A Night In

by FlyingSeaLion



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Denial, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Drabble, Drama, Falling In Love, Fluff, Home Farm, M/M, Slow Burn, Soft lads
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-03-15 15:43:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13616499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyingSeaLion/pseuds/FlyingSeaLion
Summary: Joe and Ross can't help falling in love, but will pressure from other people make their relationship fail ?





	1. Chapter 1

"'Ello, Joe ? Sorry, I can't call tonight, got to mind Moses on really short notice. Tomorrow suits me fine though, how bout you ? I'll text ya laters."

Joe stared blankly as Ross' voice stopped abruptly on the voicemail. If he was honest with himself, it didn't suit him to postpone for another day.

He had a cheesy movie on the widescreen, and two glasses of whiskey sitting on the coffee table.

Tonight was the night he was going to do something. He hadn't been sure what, but he knew the time felt right. Ross was either too thick to suss out his obvious flirting attempts, or he was playing along smugly, and was hiding it annoyingly well.

Joe sighed sadly, and his voice quivered a little because of how hurt he felt.

He sat down and drank a shot of whiskey to clear his head. He wasn't going to let himself dwell on this.

It felt like a rejection, and no one had ever rejected him like this before.

~

It was a while later when a familiar knock came from the door, and Joe roused himself from dozing on the couch. He jolted upright at the realization, and slipped off the couch from the awkward position he had fell asleep in.

He saw the shadow of a silhouette in the porch, and fixed his hair as he made his way to open the door. He pulled it open gently, and poked his head out to check who it was .

Ross was stood there, holding Moses against his left shoulder, and they were staring out at the moon.

Ross' breath caught in his throat, and he whispered,  
"Look mate, d'ya see that in the sky ? S'a shooting star that is... We've gotta make a wish now."

Joe stood still for a moment, feeling as though he was intruding somehow, but he cleared his throat to get Ross' attention.

Ross turned with a bright, but tired smile,  
"'Ey. Joe. I felt terrible for missing our night in. Wondered if you wanna come to mine for a bit ?"

Joe's face lit up at the offer, and without realizing he had embraced Ross tightly.

"I'd love to."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe reflects on how Ross has managed to become so important to him, in such a short space of time.

What Joe had wanted to say to him was 'I love you' but he didn't want to seem desperate. He hadn't felt like this with anyone before; admiring them, respecting them and always looking forward to being in their company.

He was sceptical of his feelings at first, of course he had been, he knew why Ross had suddenly became friendly towards him. He noticed how sly and deceptive Ross could be when he needed to, and he really enjoyed playing along with a man almost his equal in wit.

But as their time together ticked on, Joe realised Ross wasn't only sticking around to get dirt on him for his ex. Ross had truly taken an interest in his life, and having such an honest friend was refreshing.

Their interactions hadn't been overly friendly or anything, but compared to how they both acted in front of most people, they were a lot more relaxed.

At first Joe thought this was part of Ross' master plan, to charm the pants off him, and get him to let some secret slip. But he realized Ross never pushed for any details about his business or his past, and if he had been conning him, those would be the most valuable things for the Dingles to know.

Ross had shared an awful lot about his life, almost to the point of being boring, but Joe found that he never grew tired of hearing what Ross had to say.

It was true that Ross was a joker, but he also knew what was what, and that was more than could be said for most people Joe had been with.

He knew Ross shared these feelings, so the hug seemed appropriate, but the fact that he shared Ross' bed was just a coincidence.

He didn't know where this 'thing' was going, but he was going to make the most of it while it lasted.

Everyone he had ever had feelings for had left him at some point, so he wasn't going to waste time analyzing it.

Joe rolled over towards Ross, who was already snoring quietly, and he hugged him tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to continue writing this story, and you can expect regular updates because of how short each chapter is :D  
> Big thanks to those of you who plan on following the story as it takes its course !


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe wakes up somewhere new.

Joe yawned contently, and stretched out on his bed. He wasn't quite sure why he was in such a good mood, but he decided to make the most of it by getting some work done.

He wiped the sleep from his eyes and lifted the duvet off himself, then rolled on his back to sit up.

His eyes narrowed suddenly at the room he found himself in. The curtains were still shut, but enough light shone in for him to see everything.

This was definitely not one of his rooms !

It was sparcely decorated, but he notice the side of a large cot on the other side of the bed, and on the nightstand beside him there were a few photo frames

Just who's bed had he fallen in to this time ?

Joe gasped at the first picture that caught his attention. There were a few people in it smiling, but the face that he recognised... Ross.

His hand went to his forehead, and his eyes went wide with shock. What had happened last night with Ross ? He couldn't remember a thing that happened after falling asleep from the shot of whiskey.

He stood up and looked at himself in a long mirror in the corner. He still had his shirt on, and lounging trousers, but his hair was a mess.

He fixed his hair as best he could, and found his things before heading downstairs.

He heard a young child gurgling in the room, and poked his head in from the hallway.

He saw the back of Ross, who was there sitting with a mug of something, and Moses was watching cartoons on the small television.

Was Ross aware of him being here ?

Joe cleared his throat softly, "Ross ?"

Ross turned to see him standing there nervously, and he smiled warmly.

"Didn't think you'd be making an appearance until the afternoon. I hope you meant what you did last night by the way, I went to the trouble of making you some brekkie."

Joe stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what he may have done. 

Ross shifted from his seat and passed Joe to reach the counter.

"'Ere's your grub. Not as fancy as what Graham must make yer, but it'll have to do."

"Thanks Ross," Joe responded automatically. His head was still spinning from the whole situation, but having an empty stomach would hardly help.

~

Joe stuck around for a lot longer than necessary, it was well past noon by now.

He knew Ross would have his hands full today with Moses, so he wouldn't be able to visit tonight either. He still wanted to see him though.

The front door slammed suddenly, and they both turned to see Pete.

"Oi oi, what time d'ya call this ?"

"I were down at Rhona's, not that you'd care anyhow. What's he doing here ?"

"Helpin' me watch Moses, not like you were 'ere bro."

Pete shrugged his shoulders and headed upstairs, leaving them alone again.

Joe glanced at Ross, who was taking a sip from his coffee, which was probably cold by now.

"What is it you're not telling me ?"

Ross smirked at him, "So you can't remember what you did last night ?"

Joe was worried by that, but he didn't let it show. He shook his head.

"You hugged me. Twice actually. Once when I called to your house, and again when we were in bed."

"And that's it ?"

"Well... You did say something a bit _forward_ mate. I know you were drunk though, so-"

"What was it ?"

"Well, I made a remark about 'ow eager you were to go home with me, and then you said you'd be eager to do anything with me..."

"Ross I'm sorry, I didn't mean that-"

Ross smiled at him again.

"Don't really mind what you meant by it. Muppet," he added affectionately.

Joe considered this, but he knew better than to dwell on what Ross meant.

"Wanna take Moses to the park ?"

"Yeah, I don't mind."

"Might wanna change first." Ross gestured at Joe's tracksuit trousers, and they both laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really happy with this story so far, I'm not too experienced with writing about established characters though, so I hope I'm doing them justice XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe and Moses spend time at the park.

Spending time with Moses wasn't as difficult as Joe thought it would be.

He didn't have much experience with kids. Not because he couldn't tolerate them or anything, but because during his life he never needed to spend time with them.

Growing up without siblings or any extended family also meant he wasn't shown much affection as a child, so could admit that he lacked a certain warmth.

He knew that being part of Ross' life now meant that he would be seeing little Moses often, so he hoped he could do a good job of looking after him.

~

Ross had gone over the road to get some shopping done, leaving Moses in Joe's care until he was done.

Joe was really pleased that Ross trusted him to take care of Moses.

The majority of people in the village saw him as an enemy, even though he was long past playing games with them.

Joe was really glad he stuck around in Emmerdale, meeting Ross was one of the best things to happen to him recently.

Not to mention meeting Noah, who he was incredibly lucky to spend any time with because of his overbearing mother, who held a vicious grudge against him.

He wasn't too pleased that Noah was skiving off school to spend time with him, but he wouldn't turn him away. Joe knew his brother couldn't take any other time to visit him.

~

Joe was pushing Moses in a baby swing, and the child was chattering with glee as he felt the wind sweep past his face.

He could get used to doing such domestic things like this with Ross. In the past few weeks, they had been spending a lot of time together.

It gave Joe hope that the 'partnership' they had going on could continue.

Their reputations might be the biggest obstacle to a relationship, Joe knew that they both had troubled histories.

He knew something this good couldn't last forever, but he was going to do his best to maintain it. 

~

Joe helped Moses climb onto the slide platform, and he trotted to the other side to catch Moses if he went too fast.

Moses squealed with laughter as he raced down the slide, and Joe just managed to catch him under his arms; before he managed to skid to a stop on the rough mat, at the foot of the slide.

"Hooray !"

Joe laughed as he held Moses up in the air, and he was beaming because of how excited Moses had become, from doing something that seemed so mundane.

While it was obvious that kids weren't always this easy to please, Joe knew that he and Moses had hit it off because of something they had in common.

Their favourite person.  
Ross.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross can't keep lying to Joe.

Ross made his way back to the park with a bulging shopping bag in one hand, and two ice creams in the other.

"Need a hand," Joe called out once he spotted Ross, and they both laughed.

Moses saw them fumbling with the huge bag of groceries, from where he was on the tall climbing frame and he smiled.

"Dad's back !"

Ross heard him and looked up to give a half wave, which was the best he could manage while holding two fragile ice cream cones.

He let the heavy bag drop onto the wood chipped path, and shook his hand out.

"How'd ye get on then ?" Ross asked hopefully, before having to lick the ice creams to stop them from dripping.

"Good. Great actually, he's like a miniature version of you." Joe had meant that as a compliment, but Ross looked down sadly, and his back stiffened.

"No, he doesn't spend enough time with me to be like that." Joe noticed Ross tense up, so he placed a hand on his shoulder to relax him.

Ross didn't seem to react at all, so Joe began rubbing his shoulder and smiling warmly at him.

He wanted to help him through times like this, because he knew Ross didn't have enough people in his life who could. He knew how deeply he could understand Ross, and he wouldn't let that bond go to waste.

Moses bounded over towards them them, and he grabbed both of them by their legs and started pulling them back.

"Let's play, let's play !"

Ross' mood brightened immediately for the sake of his son, and he remembered the treat he was holding in his hand.

"Here you go lad." Ross held the cone down for Moses to see, and he laughed excitedly.

Moses let go of them and ran back to the climbing frame to sit down and eat. Ross watched him fondly, then turned to Joe.

"Listen Joe, you don't know how much I appreciate having you around but, after everything that's happened I-"

Joe pulled his hand away from Ross, and watched him intently. Was he ending this...

"It's just, the Dingles hate your guts Joe." Ross forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood, but Joe just stared in shock.

"Look, I'm not sure why I'm leading you on like this, it can't go any further than this, or I could lose everyone-" Ross seemed furious at what he was saying, his voice was straining.

"It's fine. I'll go." Joe said sharply. He let his weak glare linger on Ross for a few seconds, before sighing and turning on his heels.

He tugged at the collar of his jacket, pulling it up to obscure his face a bit. He couldn't deal with any more drama today, however menial it might be.

Ross watched him leave from the corner of his eye, and he felt his eyes stinging. He blinked a few times and rubbed them to ease the pain.

If only he could settle the pain in his heart so easily. Having to deal with such conflicting options, it was driving him mad.

He looked at the second ice cream he had bought. He had planned to share it with Joe, but then... He just couldn't bear having Joe around without telling him how he really felt.

But now he truly felt alone.

Was it worth ending his relationship with Joe to keep people who didn't really care about him happy ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading ! I'm glad I came back to writing this, it's really fun to explore the relationship that could be between these complex characters. The story took a turn that even I didn't expect, but do stay tuned to see what happens :)  
> And as always, I really appreciate the lovely comments you all leave :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe's futile attempts to forget about Ross.

Joe stormed through his front door and went straight to the kitchen for a drink. He couldn't deal with this situation sober just yet, he needed a break.

His hands were stiff from clenching them during his walk back, and he fiddled with the cork on the whiskey bottle trying to open it.

"You could've left me a message last night that you were going to be out Joe." Graham appeared from a doorway that lead to the office, and he watched Joe carefully.

Joe stilled, and shot a glare towards Graham. He wondered why Graham always made an appearance just when wanted some space.

Especially when Joe wanted to drown his sorrows, Graham never left him alone to do so. Graham knew Joe was too stubborn to appear weak or dependent on anything, so he only ever drank until he felt a slight buzz in Graham's company.

Joe poured a drop of whiskey into his glass and put the bottle firmly down beside it.

"What happened ?" Graham asked in a steady voice.

Joe groaned and looked away from Graham. Was he that easy to read ?

Joe tipped back the whiskey in one shot and put the glass down.

"I'm going for a run." He countered, and he swiftly left the kitchen to avoid more questions.

He changed into some running gear, and went out the back door in case Graham was still dawdling in the the kitchen area.

Joe's guess had been spot on.

Graham was at the counter washing the glass and putting the whiskey back in the cabinet. His hold on the bottle lingered for a moment more than it should have, before he pushed it further back into the cabinet and closed the door.

~

Joe was doing some light stretches against the back wall of the house. His thoughts were still crystal clear, and it seems the alcohol had done nothing to aid the emptiness he was feeling.

He took off jogging down a gravely path, trying his best not to dwell on anything.

Over thinking what could have been, or what he could have done differently wouldn't solve anything.

He pulled out his phone and earphones and put some music on at a piercing volume.

He just wanted to forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter here but I think it's fitting for the situation. Poor Joe doesn't know what to do after being rejected :(
> 
> Hope the irregular updates aren't too bothersome either, it's been difficult to find time to write recently.  
> Next part shouldn't take too long though :D


End file.
